


From Coal Hill to Chill

by merryghoul



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Dating, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 13:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16138622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: Five dates Clara and River went on, in various locations on and off Earth.





	From Coal Hill to Chill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moebius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moebius/gifts).



They met when Clara saw the TARDIS in the Coal Hill School closet the Doctor usually landed in whenever he wanted to go on an adventure. Clara was on a break; she felt like she had enough time to convince the Doctor to come back a few hours later, after she was done grading coursework. Maybe stick around if he didn’t feel like coming back a few hours later and putting some type of a sheet over the TARDIS to attempt to camouflage it. 

Clara walked in the closet, expecting the Doctor to invite her into the TARDIS. Either with a dry wit or with warm enthusiasm—she wasn’t sure what the Doctor’s mood would be for this visit. Instead, a woman with reddish-blonde hair, wearing a black jumpsuit, popped out of the TARDIS. 

“You’re dead.” Clara blinked her eyes a few times.

The woman with reddish-blonde hair squinted at Clara. “Sweetie, I’m not dead. I’m very much alive.”

“I met you in your future.”

The woman with reddish-blonde hair froze. “Oh.”

“You didn’t seem upset about being dead. At least not in front of me.”

“Well, that was awkward. But I’m a time traveller myself. It’s entirely possible you’ve met me after I’ve died.” The woman with reddish-blonde hair offered Clara a hand. “You must know I’m Professor River Song by now. And you are?”

“Clara Oswald. How are you driving the TARDIS if you’re not the Doctor?”

“He gave me a key a long time ago. She taught me how to fly her a longer time ago. And it appears this TARDIS key is a universal key. The last time I stole the TARDIS, I somehow ended in a secondary control room with wood paneling and bronze bars.”

“I didn’t know that was a room in the TARDIS.” 

“It might’ve been ejected by another Doctor. It’s certainly not in this TARDIS. Anyway, I came here because I thought the Doctor sent a distress signal from this period in time at Coal Hill School. I’m assuming that’s not the case.”

“I thought the Doctor was picking me up for an adventure.”

“I can take you somewhere myself. I don’t have any plans. Well, not at this point in time.” 

“Can you pick me up after school? I’m supposed to be in class right now.”

“How many hours later?”

“About three.” 

“I’ll be right back,” River said, running back into the TARDIS. The TARDIS materialised away shortly thereafter.

Exactly three hours later, River was able to find some space in Clara’s classroom. Satisfied that she had done all she needed to do for the day in regards to her students’ classwork, Clara ran into the TARDIS, where River warmly greeted her with a “Hello, sweetie” from the TARDIS console. “So where do you want to go?”

 

The second time they met at Coal Hill School, River didn’t have the TARDIS. But she had her vortex manipulator and her sonic trowel. River knew her sonic trowel would be out of place at Coal Hill School unless she said she was a gardener or doing some sort of biology experiment. Before River walked into Coal Hill School, she made sure her sonic trowel was hidden in her knapsack. 

River had timed her arrival at Coal Hill School perfectly—there weren’t any students in Clara’s classroom. River walked in. “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry I had to barge in.” She gave Clara a peck on her lips. 

“You weren’t interrupting me, River.”

“I was on one of my archaeological digs with my two assistants. You would think that a cyborg and a giant space insect wouldn’t be hard for me to find on a planet made up of beaches and oceans, but they’ve both gone missing.”

“You want me to help me find them.”

“Of course. You did say you were free, correct?”

“I was about to lock my classroom door.”

“Good. We should be going.”

“Can you take us with your vortex manipulator?”

River put her right arm behind Clara’s back as she set the coordinates of her vortex manipulator to the planet she lost her assistants on. “Taking two people through time and space on a vortex manipulator is a bit of a strain on the vortex manipulator. But it can be done. Now hold on.”

Clara put her arms behind River’s back, a smile on her face.

“We should be going right about”— 

 

One time, River found Clara not in a Coal Hill School classroom, but on a Coal Hill school rugby pitch. 

“I can’t go anywhere today, River,” Clara said as River walked towards where she was standing on the pitch. “My rugby team has a big game this weekend.”

“I understand, sweetie. But do you think I can help you out?”

“You know how to play rugby?”

“Have you forgotten I’m part Time Lord? Of course I know how to play rugby. This is rugby union play, correct?”

“Correct.”

River put down her bag and started participating in the passing drills Clara’s rugby team was doing, correcting the players on their techniques as they threw their practice balls. 

“If you want me to,” River said while Clara’s team was taking a water break, “I could stay for a while and help with your practises.”

Clara nodded. “I’d like that. You can’t show up as a coach, though.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I’m better as a coach in the bedroom.”

 

On one of their dates, River, taking the Doctor’s TARDIS again, took Clara to the Planet of the Coffee Shops. 

“The Doctor has gotten me coffee several times from here, River,” Clara said, stepping out of the TARDIS. 

“But you did say the Doctor keeps going to the third best coffee maker in the universe.”

“He keeps going on and on about Elizabeth Pepys, but he never takes me to meet her or to drink her coffee.” 

“That’s because he’s wrong. You don’t need to travel all the way back in time to meet Elizabeth Pepys. The best coffee in the universe is here, at Not Costa’s.”

Clara squinted. “That sounds like it’s a knockoff brand of Costa Coffee.”

“It really isn’t Not Costa’s. Travellers have compared the coffee here to the most flavourful version of Earth-made chain store coffee they’ve ever had. The coffee shop used to have a different name, but now it’s called Not Costa’s, after the brand most of the travellers compared this coffee too.” 

Clara and River walked into Not Costa’s and ordered two cups of their house blend before sitting down at one of the coffee shop’s booths. Clara tasted her coffee, nodding her head. “This really is the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

“So now you don’t have to hound the Doctor over taking you to Elizabeth Pepys.”

“Or Benton. You don’t want Benton’s coffee. In fact, you don’t want UNIT’s coffee at all. Dreadful stuff.”

Clara leaned in for a kiss. River followed suit, noting the bitter flavour and hints of what tasted like Earth berries now in Clara’s kiss.

“Noted,” Clara said as she broke their kiss.

On another date, River decided to fly the TARDIS around time and space, with no plans to go or stay anywhere outside the TARDIS. River took Clara to a room lit by candles and covered with flower petals. A bubble bath was drawn in a tub, and soft smooth jazz music filed the room.

“The Doctor’s never shown me this room before.”

“That’s because I created this bathroom for the two of us. I wanted to spend some time getting to know the two of us better. And then I should probably eject this bathroom before the Doctor finds out. And maybe accuses you of being a secret Time Lord or something.”

“You mean...”

“What do you call it in your time, something similar to ‘Netflix and chill?’ That.”

“Oh.”

River nodded. “Oh indeed.”

River kissed Clara and let her into the bathroom.


End file.
